Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 319 - Qixi (2)

The night market of Heishi City is bustling and vibrant.

The Heishi Mountain range was shrouded in darkness, and the climate was perpetually gloomy, so the demon clan loved to decorate their caverns with vibrant colors and glowing gemstones. At night, countless vendors emerged from all directions. The people of Heishi City either pushed wooden carts or set up long tables and benches on the ground, hanging green and red lanterns nearby, turning Heishi City into a dazzling and bright spectacle.

The streets were also noisy, with demon men and women in bizarre outfits snuggling as they walk through the crowd, giving off a very mundane, worldly vibe.

Mu Cengxiao felt a bit uncomfortable: “Junior Sister, are your people always so uninhibited?”

The demon clan was known for their bold actions. Their clothing was unusual, and they were not shy about displaying their enthusiasm. It was common to see couples hugging and kissing in the streets, and beautiful demon women boldly reached out to touch Mu Cengxiao’s arm, leaving a red scratch from their long nails.

Mu Cengxiao’s face turned red with embarrassment, feeling like he was being pricked by needles, and he squeezed closer to Tian Fangfang.

Though Meng Ying was also beautiful and attracted the gaze of many demon men, the Moon Soul Sword at her waist was quite intimidating. Besides, she maintained a cold demeanor throughout, making anyone who dared to flirt with her quickly regret it. Thus, those men could only observe from afar.

Gu Baiying’s face was even more eye-catching. Being a young and handsome lad, he naturally attracted the interest of demon women. However, when those women saw Zanxing beside Gu Baiying, they immediately retreated. No one would dare to compete for a man who was the next Demon King. Tian Fangfang, on the other hand, was somewhat disgruntled and muttered, “Even Men Dong gets approached, yet no one seems to notice me?”

Zanxing suggested, “Senior Brother, maybe you should put away the axe on your shoulder first.”

Amidst the sounds of singing and dancing, a crowd had gathered ahead, watching a shadow play. Zanxing and her companions squeezed forward and saw that the performance depicted a man and woman in an intimate embrace, portrayed vividly. The puppeteer behind the scenes also performed with such skill that it was truly impressive. The demons around them cheered, with some shouting, “Good! Be bolder!”

Zanxing was taken aback, and Gu Baiying, blushing, pulled her out of the crowd.

“Yang Zanxing.” He looked at her with restrained displeasure. Unsure of what to say next, he simply scolded her with his gaze.

The two stared at each other for a moment, and Zanxing sighed. “Alright, I’ll talk to Mother about it tomorrow. In the future, such explicit shadow plays shouldn’t be performed in the streets of Heishi City.”

Gu Baiying cleared his throat. “Alright then.” After a while, he felt like he had overreacted.

“Do you want to buy something?” he asked.

“Huh?”

He glanced at Tian Fangfang and the others who were still among the crowd. “Don’t worry about them. Do you want to browse around? If you see anything you like, I’ll buy it for you.”

Zanxing wanted to remind him that she was the future ruler of Heishi City, and anything she liked from any stall there would be free of charge, since the city used magic pearls instead of money. However, Gu Baiying’s gesture was kind, and she didn’t want to appear ungrateful. So, she replied, “Alright. It’s been a while since I’ve bought anything.”

Since arriving in Heishi City two years ago, Zanxing had spent most of her time in seclusion. She hadn’t had a chance to experience the night market, let alone the Qixi Festival. Today, the weather was also alright. Although the night was dark and gloomy without stars or moon, it wasn’t raining like it had a few days ago.

The dazzling lights were like a winding dragon, illuminating the dark mountains and transforming the area into a fantastical realm where spirits and creatures resided. The vibrant and bizarre atmosphere resembled a scene from a world of magic and earthly splendor.

Gu Baiying walked beside Zanxing, navigating through the throng of people. He positioned himself on the outer side, allowing Zanxing to walk on the inner side. Zanxing glanced over and caught a glimpse of his blurred profile under the lights.

Noticing Zanxing’s gaze, Gu Baiying looked down and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Zanxing shifted her gaze and nonchalantly took his hand.

Gu Baiying paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly.

“What are you laughing at?” Zanxing immediately asked.

He imitated Zanxing by looking away, a smug smile playing on his lips. “Nothing,” he replied casually.

Zanxing stared at him for a long moment, thinking to herself, ‘He’s exactly my type’. She’d always found Gu Baiying handsome, but now, amidst all the extravagantly dressed demons in the city, he stood out like a refreshing stream. It was impossible to forget him.

A demon woman walked by, holding a bunch of vibrant blue flowers. Giving flowers was a common gesture of affection, whether among humans or demons. However, while these flowers were sweet-smelling to demons, they appeared as skulls to humans, which could be rather eerie.

“Are Guishou Flowers popular among your kind?” Gu Baiying asked hesitantly.

“Should be, yes,” Zanxing replied.

“Would you like one?” Gu Baiying asked, looking at Zanxing.

“No need!” Zanxing immediately rejected. Although the flower was indeed a flower in her eyes, the thought of others seeing her holding a skull and sniffing it made her scalp tingle. She spotted a crowd gathered around a stall not far ahead and pulled Gu Baiying towards it, saying, “There are a lot of people over there, let’s go take a look.”

When they drew closer, they saw that the stall was quite unique. The vendor was a young red-haired woman with a huge flower pot at her feet. A glowing tree, about as tall as a person, grew in the pot.

Zanxing took a few more steps forward and realized that it wasn’t the tree itself that was glowing, but rather the many silver locks hanging from its bare branches. These silver locks were small and delicate, with a glowing stone embedded in the clasp, polished to a high sheen.

“What are these…” Zanxing picked one up.

“These are Harmony Heart Locks,” the vendor, who didn’t recognize Zanxing, enthusiastically explained. “You just write your names on them with a pen and hang them on the tree, then lock them with a key, and the two of you will be inseparable for the rest of your lives!”

Just as Zanxing was finding the silver lock somewhat familiar, she heard the vendor continue, “Our Heishi City’s Demon Queen absolutely loves these silver locks. You see, thanks to these locks, she’s managed to lock down countless outstanding men in the world. Wouldn’t you like to buy a few as well, young lady? We sell them in sets of ten. Buy ten, get one free. Buy fifty, get ten free. Each one is only one hundred magic pearls, it’s a great deal!”

Gu Baiying frowned. “Ten at a time?”

“Of course!” The vendor puts her hands on her hips, defending her sales pitch. “One lock isn’t enough. A demon lady from Heishi City wouldn’t need just one man. You wouldn’t want to hang them all on one tree, would you? Better to start with ten!”

Gu Baiying scoffed.

The Demon Queen’s love locks were on sale, locking in love by wholesale!